Car coupling



W. B. LYON GAR COUPLING Sept. 3, 1935.

Original Filed May 18, 1933 FIG.

FIG.3

FIG. 5 m

WILLIAM B. LYON Patented Sept. 3, 1935 FATEN'F GFFEQE CAR COUPLING William B. Lyon, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor of one-half to L. E. White Application May 18, 1933, Serial No. 671,654 Renewed July 10, 1935 8 Claims.

This invention relates to draw bars and couplings and particularly to those which provide duplicate coupling devices. My improved coupling device may be used as a standard knuckle coupler and has many advantages over the usual coupler when so used. My invention also provides for a separable knuckle-coupler head which may be removed leaving a pin-and-bar coupler similar to that disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,896,713, issued February 7th, 1933.

Another object of my invention is to provide a. locking member carried by a drawbar and adapted to coact with either of two couplers suitable for use with the drawbar.

A further object of rm; invention is to provide a surface on the end of the drawbar adapted to withstand heavy bufling when cars are coupled.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the accompanying description and drawing, and the essential features of my invention are summarized in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the removable knuckle-coupler head; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drawbar; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section along the lines 33 of Figs. 1 and 2. with the head and drawbar assembled; Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view showing the pin-and-bar coupler in operative position; while Fig. '7 is a perspective View of the double-purpose locking member.

My prior Patent, No. 1,896,713, discloses a drawbar having an oscillating pawl adapted to engage a lip or shoulder on a bar, which latter forms part of a pin-and-bar coupler. This pawl serves to transfer stresses from the link directly to the body of the coupler, while at the same time looking the bar in the drawbar when the bar is in tension.

My present invention provides a standard knuckle coupler head suitable for attachment to the device of the patent, and the pawl of the patent is modified to enable it to hold the knuckle in locked position.

The bufing surface, which is the parting line between the removable head and the drawbar, preferably has the form of an are extending transversely of the drawbar axis. This enables the coupling device to withstand heavy bufing,

whether the coupled cars are on a tangent or a curve.

The device of my prior Patent No. 1,896,713 comprises a drawbar having a shank l and a head end II. The shank may have a hollow passageway within it adapted to store the pin l2 and bar I3 of the pin-and-bar coupler when not in use. The bar has an upwardly projecting lip M at each end thereof, and two or more holes l therethrough to receive the pin when in use. A pawl i6 is pivotally supported at its upper end within the head end of the drawbar. The pawl normally hangs in a vertical position due to gravity and is actuated by a pin H which extends outside the drawbar to a position where it may be easily attached by a chain to the usual coupling and uncoupling lever. When the pin-andbar coupling is in use (see Fig. 6), the lower end of pawl l6 engages a lip Id of the bar, while the pin I2 passes through an opening H5 in the bar and aligned openings I8 in the head end of the drawbar. The pawl may have a chamfered portion H3 at its upper end for engaging the pin and holding it in elevated position prior to the coupling operation, as is more fully described in my above-mentioned patent.

To the above-described device I attach a knuckle coupler head 20 having a rear face 2! adapted to fit the forward face 22 of the head end of the drawbar. The separable head has a guard arm 23, and a lug 24 which pivotally supports a knuckle member 25, which latter has a tongue 26 extending substantially normal to the knuckle. The knuckle, lug and guard arm are suitable for engagement with the standard knuckle coupler in general use. For attaching the knuckle head to the drawbar, I provide a suitable extension 2? thereon, which is adapted to fit. snugly into the head end of the drawbar. This extension is illustrated as channel shaped, and the flanges of the channel are flared outwardly transversely of the separable head, as shown at 33 and 34, to accommodate the knuckle tongue. The parts are made sufficiently heavy to withstand the usual forces encountered in service, and the channel portion of the extension may be secured to the drawbar by suitable bolts 28 through the flanges and 29 through the web. It will be noted that the separable head comprises the wing, the lug carrying the knuckle and very narrow portions connecting the wing and lug. The effect of this construction is that if a head needs to be scrapped and replaced with a new one, but a very small amount of metal needs to be thrown away. In the usual standard coupler, in case of breakage the wing, lug and knuckle and considerable length of shank must be scrapped.

The pawl I6 is adapted to form a locking member for the tongue 26 of the knuckle coupler. As shown in Fig. '7, a portion 30 is cut away on one side of the pawl. As the knuckle swings toward its locked position the tongue (as shown in broken lines in Fig. 4) engages the forward face of the pawl and swings it rearwardly. When the tongue reaches the locked position (shown in full lines in Fig. 4) the tongue enters the cut-away portion 30 of the pawl, thus permiting the pawl to swing forward to lock the tongue and therefore the knuckle. The locking operation is thus automatically accomplished.

To prevent the pawl from inadvertently swinging back to unlock the tongue, I have provided locking means for the pin [1. The form shown comprises a hood 3| on the outside of the drawbar. This hood engages a portion of the head of the pin whereby it is prevented from jarring outwardly. Sufficient play is provided in the parts so that the head of pin I1 is easily disengaged from the hood by a pull on the operating chain (not shown).

It is evident without illustration that the pin l2 might be used as an additional securing means for the knuckle tongue (see Fig. 3) by providing, through the web of extension 21, a hole aligned with holes [8 in the drawbar.

To throw the knuckle into coupling position when unlocked by raising pin I1, I show a flat spring 32 pinned in a recess of the flange 33 of the extension 21. This spring is closed when the parts are in the locked position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, but extends to the position shown in broken lines when the parts are unlocked.

The coacting faces 2| and 22 of the separable head and the drawbar respectively are preferably formed in an are extending transversely of the drawbar axis. The blows received when coupling the cars fall directly upon this arcuate bufiing surface when the pin-and-bar coupler is used, and are transmitted to it through the separable head when the knuckle coupler is used. In either case and regardless of whether the cars are in alignment or not, the buffing blows are transmitted to the body of the draft gear without causing undue bending stresses therein.

I have thus disclosed a knuckle coupler in which the part subjected to the severest abuse comprises but two parts, assembled in a separable head. Damage to this head does not entail the scrapping of the entire drawbar and coupler, as heretofore, with the attendant heavy expense for parts. There is a great saving in labor also, as the separable head is attached by a few bolts, which are easily handled by the trainmen themselves without skilled mechanics. There are no parts likely to become so rusted and corroded in use as to prevent the removalof the head, when necessary; Thus, the car is quickly replaced in service.

The knuckle coupler head, permits the use of cars which are equipped with the pin-and-bar coupler of my prior Patent No. 1,896,713 with cars having standard knuckle couplers.

Cars equipped with my improved coupling device are not held up for several days if a coupler head is damaged, nor is the train seriously delayed, if the accident happens en route. The train crew alone, with a pair of wrenches, can in a short time remove the broken coupler head and the coacting coupler head on the adjacent car, thus making possible the use of the very eflicient pin-and-bar coupling of Fig. 6. The pin-and-bar are always at hand within the shank of the drawbar for such emergency use.

What I claim is:

1. In a car coupler, the combination of a drawbar, a separable coupler head adapted to be secured to one end of the drawbar, a knuckle pivotally supported by the head, said knuckle having a rearwardly extending locking tongue, a pawl pivotally supported at its upper end within the drawbar, said pawl being adapted to swing out of the path of the tongue as the tongue approaches the locking position, said pawl being adapted to swing into the path of the tongue when the tongue is in the locking position, and said pawl being adapted to form part of a second coupling device when the separable coupler head is removed.

2. In a car coupler, the combination of a hollow drawbar, a separable coupler head, a knuckle pivotally supported on one side of said head, a tongue extending substantially normal to said knuckle, a channel shaped member extending from the rear of the head, said channel shaped member extending into said drawbar, means for securing said member to said drawbar, and the flanges of said member flaring outwardly transversely of the separable head, whereby the tongue may lie against the flaring portion of one of said flanges.

3. In a car coupler, the combination of a drawbar having a forwardly curved face extending transversely of one end thereof, a separable coupler head adapted to be secured to said drawbar, said head having a forwardly curved face adapted to fit the curved face of the drawbar, and said drawbar being arranged to form part of a bar and pin coupling device when said separable coupler head is removed, whereby said curved face of the drawbar becomes a direct bulfing surface with a like face of a similar drawbar.

4. A double duty car coupler comprising a drawbar and a locking member carried thereby, said drawbar being arranged alternatively to carry a head of a knuckle and tongue coupler or a bar of a bar and pin coupler, and said locking member being constructed and arranged to secure either said tongue or said bar.

5. A double duty car coupler comprising a drawbar, arranged alternatively to carry a head of a knuckle and tongue coupler or a bar of a bar and pin coupler, and means on the drawbar for alternatively securing either said tongue or said bar in coupling position.

6. A double duty car coupler comprising a drawbar arranged alternatively to carry a head of a knuckle and tongue coupler or a bar of a bar and pin coupler, and means on the drawbar for alternatively securing either said tongue or said bar in coupling position automatically upon movement of the parts into coupling position.

7. A double duty car coupler comprising a drawbar and a pawl mounted thereon by a pivot adjacent the upper end of said pawl, said drawbar being arranged alternatively to carry a head of a knuckle and tongue coupler or a bar of a bar and pin coupler, there being an opening in said drawbar adjacent said pivot for receiving a pin, and said pawl being constructed and arranged to secure either said tongue or said bar or to hold said pin in elevated position prior to a coupling operation.

8. In a car coupler, the combination of a.

drawbar, a separate coupler head adapted to be 5 secured to one end of the drawbar, said head comprising a guard arm and a lug carrying a knuckle and narrow portions extending between said guard arm and lug, and means on said drawbar constructed and arranged to secure in locked relation the bar of a bar and pin coupler when the separable coupler head is removed.

WILLIAM B. LYON. 

